Scan barcode
A review by syllareads
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
It is indeed very fitting that I should read this book on the second day of Pride Month! <3
Cemetery Boys is a fun, whimsical and still heartfelt story about a trans boy, Yadriel, who feels the need to prove to his family that he is, in fact, a brujo (and not a bruja like a big part of his family insists he has to be) - and his grand plan for this: Summon the ghost of a newly deceased brujo, show him off to the family, ???, success.
Only: He does not summon his cousin Miguel, but rather Julian, local troublemaker bad boy who hadn't even known (up until this point) that he was supposed to be dead! And when Yadriel tries to release him, Julian insists on staying, stubborn to a fault, so he can protect his found family and see to it that things are in order (and also, who wouldn't want to stay in this world, just a bit longer?). And so, Yadriel lets himself get pulled into an adventure he hadn't seen coming...
I really, really enjoyed this book! The writing is funny, the characters are beautiful and I would die for all of them, and the author, Aiden Thomas, manages to both convey humor in his writing AND show just how much Yadriel struggles with his family (but not his own identity), how their slipups hurt him and yet how much he does not allow himself to be angry for this because he unconsciously centers everyone else first but himself. It's a beautiful story about a boy finding his place in the world and with people who love him - not just precisely because he didn't know where he wanted to stand, but because others had to realize that his, Yadriel's, place in the world was exactly here: as a brujo of his family clan, side by side with the other men.
The found family in this one made me cry a tiny bit, I will admit to that.
The twist at the end worked very well and was nicely put into the narrative basically from the start, even tho it was thus a tiny bit TOO predictable. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book, especially if you are, like me, queer, and would like, like me, see queer characters doing queer and entirely whimsical, magical things.
Cemetery Boys is a fun, whimsical and still heartfelt story about a trans boy, Yadriel, who feels the need to prove to his family that he is, in fact, a brujo (and not a bruja like a big part of his family insists he has to be) - and his grand plan for this: Summon the ghost of a newly deceased brujo, show him off to the family, ???, success.
Only: He does not summon his cousin Miguel, but rather Julian, local troublemaker bad boy who hadn't even known (up until this point) that he was supposed to be dead! And when Yadriel tries to release him, Julian insists on staying, stubborn to a fault, so he can protect his found family and see to it that things are in order (and also, who wouldn't want to stay in this world, just a bit longer?). And so, Yadriel lets himself get pulled into an adventure he hadn't seen coming...
I really, really enjoyed this book! The writing is funny, the characters are beautiful and I would die for all of them, and the author, Aiden Thomas, manages to both convey humor in his writing AND show just how much Yadriel struggles with his family (but not his own identity), how their slipups hurt him and yet how much he does not allow himself to be angry for this because he unconsciously centers everyone else first but himself. It's a beautiful story about a boy finding his place in the world and with people who love him - not just precisely because he didn't know where he wanted to stand, but because others had to realize that his, Yadriel's, place in the world was exactly here: as a brujo of his family clan, side by side with the other men.
The found family in this one made me cry a tiny bit, I will admit to that.
The twist at the end worked very well and was nicely put into the narrative basically from the start, even tho it was thus a tiny bit TOO predictable. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book, especially if you are, like me, queer, and would like, like me, see queer characters doing queer and entirely whimsical, magical things.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Deadnaming, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Transphobia